Dec 15, 2016
Kelsey Waldon is a charming and heart-rending at the same time. With a twinkle in her eye she can pierce you with melancholy or shiv a rival with icy cool worthy of Loretta Lynn. The latter was more the feeling of opening song “False King” with a hook I love: “You can’t place a crown on the head of a clown and...
Dec 15, 2016
Under the circumstances, The Coal Men felt more like comfort food, with their gorgeous tones and tight roots rocking structures. Dave Coleman writes pop songs with the story quotient of country songs, so we got “Stones River” about old friends/mentors and a wintry outdoor setting. And “Willy Jett” is a portrait...
Dec 12, 2016
What’s on tap, as we like to say? Well how about John Oates, our yes-we-did-just-drop-that-name superstar buddy who’s done more to parlay his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stature into the growth and enrichment of Americana music than anybody this side of Springsteen. It was a lot to get our heads around back in the...
Nov 22, 2016
What a wonderful scene took shape at Roots on Wednesday night, with old friends of the show and assorted music mavens on hand, mingling while truly listening, the way a good Nashvillian does. But this was a night with abundant local talent, a veritable showcase of the new acoustic and bluegrass master pickers...
Nov 18, 2016
Bill Lloyd pulled a quick change of personnel plan on Wednesday when his electric band’s regular bassist had a baby arrive in the family. The drummerless trio of Bill, Jim Hoke on steel and Hags Haggerty on bass eased nicely through a mix of originals and covers, which is Bill’s way. “In A Perfect World” was...